Question

which statement does not describe a normal distribution?
a. the distribution is symmetric.
b. most of the observations are near the mean.
c. the number of observations trails off as you move away from the mean.
d. the median may differ from the mean.

Explanation:

• A normal distribution is symmetric about the mean, so A describes it.
• In a normal distribution, most observations cluster around the mean, so B describes it.
• As you move away from the mean in a normal distribution, the number of observations decreases (tails off), so C describes it.
• In a normal distribution, the mean, median, and mode are equal. So the statement that the median may differ from the mean (D) does not describe a normal distribution.

Answer:

D. The median may differ from the mean.